The alleged finding of human remains, designated San Geronimo, in 1853 afforded striking confirmation of an incident recorded by a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

named Diego de Haedo, who published a

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

and history of

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

in 1612. Haedo sets forth the legend that a young

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

who had embraced Christianity, and had been baptized with the name of Geronimo ("

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

"), had been captured by a Moorish corsair in 1569 and taken to

. The Arabs endeavoured to induce Geronimo to renounce Christianity, but as he steadfastly refused to do so, he was condemned to death. Bound hand and foot, he was thrown alive into a mould in which a block of concrete was about to be made. The block containing his body was built into an angle of the Fort of the Twenty-four Hours, then under construction. According to Samuel M. Zwemer, in 1853 the Fort of the Twenty-four Hours was demolished, and, in the very angle specified by Haedo, the skeleton of Geronimo was found. The bones were interred at St. Philippe, now the

Ketchaoua Mosque The Ketchaoua Mosque (), also known as Djamaa Ketchaoua, is a mosque in the city of Algiers, the capital of Algeria. It was built during Ottoman period in the 17th century and is located at the foot of the Casbah of Algiers, a UNESCO World Herit ...

. Liquid

plaster of Paris Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

was run into the mould left by the saint's body, creating a perfect model showing the features of the youth, the cords which bound him, and even the texture of his clothing. This model was said to be held in the museum formerly at Parc du Galland, Mustapha Superior,

References

* ** Zwemer may have been inspired by a reference found in (this book has not been checked). 19th-century Christian saints Converts to Roman Catholicism from Sunni Islam History of Algiers People from Oran Province {{saint-stub